


knock, knock

by thesorrowoflizards



Series: random oneshots [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec said something he didn't mean, F/M, Hurt Alec, Hurt Magnus, Hurt/Comfort, I promise there's a happy ending, I wrote this in literally like two hours so, M/M, Maia is the best gf tbh, Maiabelle tries to find out what happened, Mostly offscreen - Freeform, Oneshot, POV Outsider, Post-breakup, Something really mean, Suspense, ambiguously an au, breakup and direct aftermath also off-screen, but he's sorry, fuck knows how good or bad it is, more fluff than you would expect, takes place in canonverse but show events? what r those
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 11:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15170066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesorrowoflizards/pseuds/thesorrowoflizards
Summary: Magnus and Alec have a horrible fight, and they break up.One day later, Alec goes missing.





	knock, knock

**Author's Note:**

> read the tags lol

 

"Raziel, it's awful," Isabelle said, sipping her drink.

She was lounging on a couch, her girlfriend partially lying in her lap.

"Alec's my brother, I love him." she said. "But what he said... it was cruel." 

Maia sighed, twisting and squirming up to sit in her lap properly. Izzy reached around her to set the glass down. "I'm sure they both said things they didn't mean," Maia said.

"Yeah," Izzy agreed, "But... I don't know if I should be telling you this."

"I won't tell anyone," Maia said. "But if you don't want to..."

Izzy thought for a moment. "I want to get this off my chest," she said. "I'm worried."

"Then go ahead," Maia said, nudging her softly. "You know I won't judge either of them."

"They... they were fighting about Magnus's immortality. They were shouting, tense... and Alec... Alec asked if Magnus loved him the same way as he did, or if he could love like that at all."

Maia inhaled sharply. "That's.... that's bad."

"Yeah, no kidding," Isabelle snorted. "He told me about it last night, he was a total wreck. He regretted every word immediately, of course, but Magnus had portalled away before he could even apologize."

"I don't blame him," Maia sighed. "But those two idiots love each other. They'll make up eventually."

"I'm just worried," Isabelle said. "I know they can take care of themselves, but... Alec's ripping himself apart over this. He wouldn't even let me stay with him, he insisted on doing paperwork. And Raziel knows how Magnus is feeling right now..." 

Maia thought of her friend. He was probably ripping into himself as much as Alec was. He wasn't easily hurt, but the people he loved had the power to destroy him. And there was probably no one he loved more than Alec Lightwood.

"How about this?" she said. "We'll check on them. Maybe bring their favorite ice cream. You get Alec, I get Magnus. We'll talk to them, cheer them up, and hopefully help them get their heads out of their asses so they'll talk to each other. Sound good?"

Isabelle smiled softly, leaning forward to kiss her. "You have the best ideas, babe," she murmured against her lips.

Maia kissed back, before pulling away from her shadowhunter. "C'mon," she said. 

"One objection," Izzy said, holding up a finger. "It's date night. I already spoiled it by talking about nothing but my brother instead of spoiling _you_ like you deserve. We at least gotta spend it together."

"You can make it up to me tonight," Maia suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.

Izzy laughed. "I'll do both," she said. "We'll cheer up Alec together, as we know where he is for sure, then we'll find Magnus." 

As Maia untangled herself from Isabelle's arms, Izzy looked up at her, thinking about three things:

One: Maia was really beautiful in this lighting. She was always beautiful, but this was a particularly nice lighting and angle. Raziel, she was beautiful.

Two: She was also definitely the best girlfriend ever, and Izzy was going to make it up to her both tonight  _and_ in the morning. Not to mention she was definitely going to have to plan another date night soon, and go above and beyond. She liked doing that for Maia, anyway, but it was a good excuse to spoil the woman she loved. And anyway, Maia had totally swept Isabelle off her feet the last date night, so Isabelle had to "get her back", so to speak.

Three: She was still very, very worried about both her brother and her future brother-in-law (who was also a good friend in general), and she very much hoped they were both okay. 

 

* * *

 

 

Isabelle knocked on Alec's office door. "Alec?" she called. "Alec, I brought you some ice cream."

No answer.

"...Alec?"

Nothing.

"It's pistachio," she said enticingly. "Your favorite!"

Nada.

"Maybe he's in his room?" Maia asked.

"No, he hates his Institute bedroom," Isabelle said. "He'll sleep there if he has to, but I know him--he'll be working himself to death in his office. Or he should be, anyway."

She knocked on the door again, louder this time. "Alec. Let me in, please!"

No response once again. 

She turned the knob--unlocked. Not necessarily unusual, but what _was_ unusual was the utter silence and darkness as the door creaked open.

No shuffling of papers or heavy sighs, no dim lamp light spilling over from the desk. 

No Alec.

Isabelle flicked the light on, eyes quickly scanning the room.

The lamp was turned off and knocked over. The chair behind his desk was shoved all the way back against the wall. Papers on the desk were disheveled and out of place, messy in a way Alec would never have allowed. Some were even on the floor or overturned.

The office looked like there had been a struggle.

There was no trace of Alec--except his jacket, thrown aside on the floor, and his weapons.

His bow lay where he usually left it along with his quiver, his seraph blade was discarded alongside his jacket, and his stele was still on his desk.

Wherever Alec was, he was unarmed and likely defenseless.

But who could have gotten into the Institute's wards and gotten Alec out without being seen?

A shadowhunter, perhaps? A warlock could have portalled him out, but only with a weakness in the wards or an inside man...

It was likely a powerful or clever enemy, if they were able to defeat Alec and get him out undetected. Whatever the case, it didn't look like he'd gone willingly.

"By the angel," she breathed, walking forward and setting the ice cream on the desk.

"Oh,  _fuck."_ said Maia behind her.

They stood there for a moment, looking at the mess on the floor.

"We should go tell Magnus, he'll want to help." Maia said after a moment, frowning. "Come on."

Izzy was still staring at the discarded jacket and blade in mute horror. Alec was in danger. Something could have happened to him. 

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Babe," Maia said gently. "Come on. Magnus can help us."

Isabelle snapped out of it, straightening up. "Let's go," she agreed.

The ice cream was left to melt. 

 

* * *

 

 

They reached Magnus's loft in record time, no portal necessary. It wasn't too far from the Institute, and even though Isabelle couldn't activate speed rune (as Maia couldn't keep up unless she shifted) they were fast.

Isabelle knocked on the door. "Magnus!" she called. It was almost a deja vu to knocking on Alec's door. "Magnus, please, it's important!"

Hopefully, he was in.

She knocked again. No response here, either.

She hoped he was just on the couch watching a movie or something, and not out, because they needed to act quickly if Alec had been taken.

Maia tried the door. It opened, unlocked.

The wards were intact, allowing them through but making the air shimmer ever-so slightly.

"Magnus?" Maia called.

Isabelle knew the door was kept locked when he was away, so he should be here somewhere.

She followed after he girlfriend, closing the door behind them. She looked around the loft. Nothing looked out of the ordinary or out of place--but Magnus was nowhere to be seen. 

Ahead of her, Maia wandered into the hallway. Izzy checked out the kitchen area. Nothing but a vase of fresh, colorful flowers. Peonies, if she wasn't mistaken. 

"I found him!" Maia's voice called from the other room. She sounded a little quieter than usual, like she was yelling just loud enough for Isabelle to hear (which wasn't that loud, due to Nephilim hearing).

Izzy made her way to where Maia had gone. Her girlfriend was standing in an open doorway, smiling.

"Why are you smiling? We--"

Izzy arrived at where Maia was standing, turning towards the doorway, and--

It was Magnus's bedroom.

And the bed was occupied by  _two_ people.

Magnus and Alec lay entwined together, tangled in the sheets. They were entirely naked, but luckily covered by the sheets swathed around them.

Magnus was curled up against Alec's chest, her brother's arms tightly wrapped around him, lips resting on the warlock's forehead.

They were fast asleep and utterly at peace, breathing deep and even.

Isabelle sighed, mostly relived but also exasperated. The thrumming fear and worry bled away, leaving her feeling a little drained.

They were safe. And apparently, they'd talked. 

"Wait," she whispered. "That doesn't make any sense. What about the struggle in his offi--"

Maia raised her eyebrows. Realization dawned.

"Oh my-- _no_."

Maia laughed at her expression. 

"That's more than I ever wanted to know about my brother's sex life," Isabelle hissed. Looking over them now, it was obvious--the litany of hickeys scattered across Magnus's bare, exposed neck, the scratch marks on her brother's back that were partially hidden by the golden sheets. "Fuck, the door was unlocked, anyone could have walked in!"

"Maybe they were just making out after making up," Maia suggested, an amused smile tugging at her lips. "Or maybe they're exhibitionists."

Isabelle made a puking gesture. "Gross, Maia."

Maia grinned. "Well, at least they're both safe. And together."

"And here we thought we'd have to pull their heads out of their asses," Isabelle said.

 

There was a grumbling sound from the vague direction of the bed. They both looked up like deer in headlights, hoping they hadn't woken one of them up. They had.

Alec sat up slightly, Magnus still fast asleep and enveloped in his arms. He was blinking sleepily. "Wha-?" 

Isabelle scooped up a discarded shirt from the floor and threw it at his head. She missed, having underestimated the shirt's range, and it fell right back on the floor by the bed. "We thought you were kidnapped or something, asshole!" she whisper-yelled.

"What are you doing in our apartment?" Alec asked, voice heavy and raspy with disuse. 

Deciding to squeal over _our_ and be happy for him later, Isabelle scowled, despite being too relived to really feel angry.

"You were missing, and your office was a total mess!" 

Magnus stirred slightly in Alec's arms. He ran a hand through his hair soothingly, glaring up at her. " _Shh."_

She lowered her voice. "It looked like there'd been a struggle."

Alec looked vaguely embarrassed at that, no doubt remembering whatever had truly occurred. 

Maia grinned, shaking her head. "I should have realized," she said. "You two can't stay mad at each other longer than a few hours. A day was a miracle as it was." 

"We talked it out," Alec admitted. "There was a lot of apologizing. And I may or may not have gotten him flowers." 

"Let me guess," Maia said. "This led to kissing, then to making out, and then to wild, passionate sex in the very unlocked office?"

Isabelle swatted her arm. Alec gave an embarrassed look that likely meant that that was exactly what had occurred. 

"Magnus put up a privacy field," he said weakly. "Soundproof. Wards. It wasn't really... unlocked."

"I'm never sitting in your office chair again," Isabelle said. "Or touching that desk."

"You're not supposed to anyway," Alec pointed out.

She shrugged.

"Not s'ppsed to what...?" Magnus mumbled sleepily from Alec's arms, not moving his face from where it was pressed against Alec's skin.

Alec tipped his head down to look lovingly at his sleeping boyfriend.

"Go back to sleep, love," Alec murmured, lowering his voice to a soft, quiet tone. 

"Mmmm _mmmph..."_

There was something nice (if rather odd) about seeing a powerful, always put-together man like Magnus sleepy and disheveled and rather adorable, snuggling in his boyfriend's arms. 

Not to mention Alec, usually relatively stoic and outwardly emotionless, being so openly soft and loving as he held his boyfriend. 

It was nice. 

Magnus stirred properly, beginning to open his unglamoured eyes. Alec was still looking at him, looking lovelorn and besotted, running fingers through his hair.

 

"We should be going," Isabelle said. "Before we wake Magnus up. We have our own date night to get back to." 

She turned to Maia, offering her arm. "If it's not too late?"

"Lead the way," Maia said cheerfully, looping her arm in Izzy's. "I'm buying."

Isabelle gasped. They walked through the apartment, barely catching Magnus say, " _Who was that, Alexander?"_ and Alec's reply of " _I'll tell you later, sweetheart."_

"I don't think so," she said. "I said I was going to make it up to you. The Institute has plenty of funds to spend. So choose any restaurant in the city, and it's yours."

"I'd be happy going to McDonald's with you," Maia said. It was true. Both because of the company, and because she had a weakness for greasy fast food.

Isabelle laughed. "If you really want to," she said. "Anywhere from the most expensive French restaurant to the cheapest fast food."

"Just not Jade Wolf," Maia said. "Or Hunter's Moon. Please."

"Agreed," Isabelle said. "And then when we get home..." 

She let the sentence hang suggestively. 

Maia smiled. 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> just typing "maiabelle investigates what's happening" makes me want a Roberts & Lightwood detective agency AU lmao
> 
> lol i can't angst sometimes but i wanted it to be a twist ending so sorry about the tags
> 
> and i feel like anytime someone would say "god" shadowhunters just say raziel. except "oh my god" which would be "by the angel", but personally i just dislike that phrase because it gives me war flashbacks to book fics i've read lol... but i still used it once because you can only say "raziel!" so many times. plus, i enjoyed the contrast between izzy's very lowkey-sheltered nephilim "by the angel!" and maia's very normal/mundane "oh, FUCK" 
> 
> also, shit ending, i know. not as shit as the title, but still. and i've never written maiabelle before so i hope i did alright.  
> in one of my other current "please go away, writer's block" oneshots, i've got some side claia, too. so i guess i'm exploring some of them good wlw shadowhunters ships mmm
> 
> ok i almost certainly won't continue this but i said that about "the songbird and the blade" and now i'm three pages into a sequel so there is the (thin! not promising anything!) chance of a sequel wherein either i show malec breakup/makeup or i just jump straight to the office sex or both. we'll see.


End file.
